An Actually Useful Guide to Crystals: What to Buy, When to Use It, and, You Know, Why

Like anybody, I’m a sucker for a gorgeous, good vibes–y crystal. But due to said prettiness, it can be easy to forget to ask the tough questions. Like, um, how do they work? Do they work? How much should I spend on one? Also, there are just So. Many. Crystals. How do I pick the best one for me?

So I asked one of our resident astrologers, Aliza Kelly, for some intel. “Crystals are sort of like little USB drives,” Kelly says. “They’re particularly receptive to us putting our intentions into them.” Basically, you can consider crystals a super ’gram-friendly combo of a vision board, a diary, and—I don’t know—a guardian angel? They’re not as $$ as they sound either. According to Kelly, “Most of the crystals linked to different practices of love, abundance, prosperity, health, or protection are actually really affordable and not hard to find.”

I want a crystal starter kit of my own, so I enlisted the help of Erica Feldmann, the founder and owner of HausWitch, a home and healing store in Salem, Massachusetts (aka Witch City). And she should know— Feldmann is always packing. “My shop girls and I keep them in our bras, our pockets, our purses, and our cars,” she says. “The bigger chunks are great—but you don’t need that!” Find what you do need below.